Shopping for Kids' Beanbag Chairs

Beanbag chairs are great for kids because they conform to each child's unique body shape, fit in most rooms, look cool and can handle lots of wear and tear. These sacks, filled with small, soft pellets are comfortable to sit or lie in and can be used for laid-back activities like lounging and reading. Bean bag chairs are available in a variety of styles and colors to fit the preferences of every kid.

Classic Round Chairs

Round bean bag chairs are the classic style seen in the 1970s and 1990s when this type of chair was most popular. This style looks like an oversized doughnut without the hole.

Small Bean Bag Chair

Children's store, The Land of Nod, sells personalized classic round bean bag chairs in a variety of colors. Prices range from around $60-$120 depending on fabric color. The chair is made up of two parts, the insert and the cover, which can also be bought separately. Vivid color choices include purple, mint, pink, dark green, blue, red, gray, strawberry floral, and buffalo check in white/black. The cover is made from 100% cotton while the filler is polystyrene beads; the chair is 30" wide. This product features an average 4.7 out of 5 stars from nearly 80 customer reviews.

Pros:

100 percent cotton cover is removable and machine washable

Two self-locking zippers on insert keep kids from spilling beans

Cover has locking safety zipper so kids don't get pinched

Comes filled loosely for added comfort

Fabric handle sewn on top for easy transport around the house

Comes with free personalization

Cons:

No choice in embroidery font or color for personalization

Personalization limited to one line with 12 characters

Small Vinyl Bean Bag

Made from durable vinyl fabric reminiscent of the original bean bag chairs, the Ace Bayou Small Vinyl Bean Bag Chair sells for around $35. This circular chair aimed at teens or larger children comes in your choice of red, black or pink. The polystyrene bean filler supports a weight limit of up to 250 pounds. Nearly 60 customer reviews give this chair an average rating of four out of five stars.

Gaming Chairs

When kids spend a long time playing video games or watching TV and movies, they want a comfortable place to lounge. Gaming chairs offer the same comfort of a classic bean bag chair with the addition of some head and neck support in the attached backrest.

Pivot Kids Chair

This triangle-shaped bean bag chair features a backrest to help kids sit comfortably in an upright position. Recommended for kids ages 6-12 this simple chair is about 36" wide, 36" deep, and about 4' tall at the highest point. The Pivot Kids Gaming Bean Bag Chair sells from Amazon for around $170 and comes in your choice of dark orange, violet, light blue, dark blue, tan, green or black.

Pros:

Made in the U.S.A.

Eco-friendly shredded foam filler

Removable fabric cover is machine washable

Built-in backrest for added comfort

Cons:

Only one size available

No zipper safety features for younger kids

Gadget Review gives the chair a 5/5 rating saying the chair is, "... the most comfortable thing my derrière has ever been in." The reviewer also shares that the package weighs about 35 pounds and the chair's assembly is almost as great as its comfort. The polystyrene filler is expandable so it comes in a small package when it is delivered, and you have to open the package to make the filler 'grow.'

High Back Chair

Sprogs' High-Back Bean Bag Chair is a basic bean bag chair shaped to include a backrest. Choose the small version for preschoolers and very small children or the large size for bigger, older elementary kids. Color choice is limited to red or blue and each is a bright primary tone. One 5-star customer review from the site where it's sold boasts the "fabric seems durable."

Pros:

Outer part is made from vinyl, making it waterproof and stain resistant

Double stitched seams for durability

Safety lock zipper prevents kids from emptying it

Comes with one-year warranty

Cons:

Very heavy chair, large size weighs about 20 pounds

No available information on filler material

This chair is well suited to classrooms or homes where children won't be moving the chair from room to room.

Novelty Chairs

A novelty bean bag chair is one that features a unique shape or design element. These chairs may be shaped like animals, sports equipment or even standard living room furniture.

Elephant Buddy

For the kid who loves stuffed animals, the Elephant Bean Buddies chair is the ultimate way to snuggle a favorite toy. Shaped like a friendly cartoon elephant, this light gray bean bag chair has a rounded body, large embroidered eyes with a smiling mouth, four flat feet, free-flowing ears, and a full trunk sewn on the front. Made from polystyrene beans and polyester fabric, this cute chair sells for around $35. Other available shapes from Birch Lane Kids are a monkey and a lion. Customers on the site rave the chair is "cute and comfortable..."

Pros:

Comes with a matching small elephant stuffed animal

Made in the U.S.A.

Comes with 30-day warranty

Lightweight at only four pounds

200-pound weight limit to accommodate kids of all sizes

Cons:

Cover does not remove

Uses zipper to hold in fillers

Overstuffed making it hard to sit on comfortably

75-inch circumference suitable only for very young or small children

Big Joe Dorm Chair

One of the few bean bags that resembles an actual chair, the Dorm chair by Big Joe looks like a standard armchair at first glance. Complete with a fully formed backrest and arm rests, this stylish chair even has a cup and magazine holder pocket sewn onto the side. The chair is filled with UltimaX Beans polystyrene. For around $50 you choose from black, red, purple, blue, green and zebra stripe.

Pros:

Made from SmartMax ballistic nylon fabric the outer shell is waterproof

Buying Tips

While it may seem like a simple purchase, finding the right bean bag chair for your child and room size can be a challenge. Talk with your child about what features are most important to him. Combine those requests with your own preferences then look for chairs that fit.

Size

Bean bags come in different sizes for people of different builds. It is important to choose the right size for you child so the chair is safe. Bean Bags Experts suggest there are four typical chair sizes available:

Child/Youth - for children under 5' tall

Large/Teen - older kids and those up to 5'2" tall

Extra Large - adults up to 6' tall

Double Extra Large - adults up to 6'5" tall or multiple people at once

Fill

Each bean bag chair contains some kind of filler made from a variety of materials. Big Joe Bean Bag lists the following as most common: